Bear kills cyclist in Montana

[emily_in_nc]

I heard this on the news this morning, and it shook me up. I am terrified of just the thought of grizzlies. Thanks for the post, NWG.

[north woods gal]

You're welcome, though I am always reluctant to post such horrible news. My intention was not to instill fear of bears, just for anyone who bikes in bear country to educate themselves on how to deal with encounters.

As someone who lives in black bear country and has had bears right in out backyard, I regard bears to be as much a part of our north woods as our lakes and trees. I wouldn't have it any other way.

[azfiddle]

We just got back from Yellowstone and Grand Teton, and were quite aware that bears were a possibility, but didn't see any. We didn't go into the back country though. We didn't ride in Yellowstone, but we did ride in Grand Teton and I wondered what the best option would be if we were on the bikes on one of the main roads. We had bear spray in Yellowstone on the day we hiked but really didn't even get it out as we were on highly populated trails.

I'm very sad for this cyclist and his family.

[Sky King]

Heard that both he and his riding partner were very experienced outdoor folks so again, best made plans can always go astray. Sad indeed. Of course, our chances of getting killed by an automobile vs a bear...

[Jolt]

I was actually in Montana for vacation when this happened (just got home today) and heard about it…the latest I have heard is that the cyclist probably actually collided with the bear which of course led to it defending itself, with tragic results. Talk about being in the wrong place at the wrong time!

[north woods gal]

Az, I think being on a main road would greatly reduce any odds of having a problem with any animal, especially bears. You and the bears would have plenty of time to see each other. In most bear attacks, it's being back in the woods and brush and coming upon an animal, suddenly, unknowingly getting too close and violating what it considers its safe zone and so on. I would regard it as much more of an issue for mountain biking back on the trails. We have black bears and wolves in the area and neither species cares for main roads. They only cross them when absolutely necessary. They do not like any automobile traffic.